1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector mounted on a print circuit board.
2. Description of Related Art
An electrical connector mounted on a print circuit board usually includes an insulating housing and a plurality of contacts received in the insulating housing. Each of the contacts has a tail portion extending out of the insulating housing and soldered on the print circuit board by SMT or Through-hole. In order to assemble the contacts on corresponding pads or into corresponding holes on the print circuit board accurately, the electrical connector usually further includes a spacer for receiving the tail portions of the contacts. U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,351 discloses an electrical connector mounted on a print circuit board. The electrical connector comprises a housing with a tongue platform, a number of contacts, a spacer defining some cavities for retaining the contacts and inserted into the housing and a pair of grounding shields covering the housing. Each contact has a horizontal mating portion lying on a side of the tongue platform and a mounting portion for being mounted on the print circuit board. The contacts are downwardly bent approximately 90 degrees from the mating portions for being securely inserted into and retained in the cavities of the spacer. The spacer can prevent the contacts from wobbling or being curved so that the mounting portions can insert into corresponding holes on the print circuit board, easily and accurately.
However, the spacer cannot be adapted for some other electrical connectors, especially for an electrical connector, whose contacts having complicated structure. For example, a contact has an inverse U-shaped portion extending from a mating portion. The spacer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,351 is unable to receive such a contact with an inverse U-shaped portion. It is necessary to develop a new type spacer to overcome the problems.